Auto · Small-town market · Hawaii
Auto repair shops in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area
How the Hilo-Kailua, HI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 83 out of 100: High
Ranked #16 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii
- Listings
- 146
- 25 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- +3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $83.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,129 a household
- Spending per listing
- $573K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 210,043
- +4.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Hilo-Kailua area
The site report maps the auto repair shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Hilo-Kailua area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Hilo-Kailua area scores 83 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #16 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 146 auto repair shops in the Hilo-Kailua area. 25 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.7, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $1,129 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the Hilo-Kailua area spend about $83.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $573K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 29% above the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 66 businesses with payroll in the Hilo-Kailua area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,122 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Hilo-Kailua area. Population estimates show the Hilo-Kailua area grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Hilo-Kailua area compares
The same measures for Hawaii and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Hilo-Kailua area | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 16.0 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $573K | $677K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,122 | 1,244 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.1% | −3.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,129 | $1,083 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,639 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 83 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66+3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 275
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 169Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14625 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 188The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Hilo-Kailua area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Hilo-Kailua area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 210,043+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 74,072
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,028 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $78,639+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,737
- Median home value
- $519,300
- Jobs located here
- 69,607
- Daytime population
- 224,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hilo-Kailua area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the auto repair shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Hilo-Kailua area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair shops across Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Hawaii for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with the Hilo-Kailua area marked.
Top small-town markets in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hilo-Kailua, HI | 83 | 146 | 19.7 | $573K | +4.6% | #16 of 538 |
| 2Kapaa, HI | 75 | 42 | 17.8 | $728K | +0.3% | #40 of 538 |
Other business types in the Hilo-Kailua area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair shops are in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area?
The Hilo-Kailua area has 146 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. Another 169 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $83.6M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $573K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 74,072 households in the Hilo-Kailua area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hilo-Kailua, HI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Hilo-Kailua area has 19.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $573K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Hilo-Kailua area would have about 188, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,122 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hilo-Kailua, HI area growing?
Population estimates put the Hilo-Kailua area at 210,043 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,072 households. The median household income in the Hilo-Kailua area is $78,639 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Hilo-Kailua area scores 83 for auto repair shops (high), #16 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Hilo-Kailua area. It maps the auto repair shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for auto repair shops · All 56 business types in the Hilo-Kailua area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hilo-Kailua area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Hilo-Kailua area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.